


Tick Tock Thought

by Witchcraftandwine



Series: Undertale oneshots [1]
Category: HorrorSwap - Fandom, Undertale
Genre: Clocks, Cute, Fluff, Gen, I love her ideas, I needed to write the beans, absurdmageart headcannons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchcraftandwine/pseuds/Witchcraftandwine
Summary: Tiny finds a shop he thinks Big will really enjoy
Series: Undertale oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756957
Kudos: 14





	Tick Tock Thought

Wandering at a slower pace Papyrus ‘Big’ Snow watched his brother stride with a lot more confidence then he’d had for a while along the path. They had seen and done a lot of terrible things underground, and when they had finally emerged with the help of the child so many had expected to be hated. However, while Big understood that some did hate and fear them, the majority of humanity had come together to help them. Medical care, psychological help, food… stars the food! So much of it! He remembered the first time seeing a grocery store, rows and rows of food, Sans had cried, he’d been so stunned by it so shocked to see so much Papyrus wondered if his brother had almost forgotten what it was like.

That had been a few years ago now and was one of the few things he remembered strongly about their emerging. Day to day it was hard to really remember things. It was ok though… well, not really but he had his notebook and his bro to help him so it worked out. It was a little funny to think the notebook he used to keep in his pocket to jot down ideas for writing had become a way to just remember life in general. Perusing the notebook last night however, he knew that his brother was really planning a surprise and not just taking him someplace he had forgotten about.

In fact when Sans, or Tiny as he was called by the others at the house, had approached him he had been very excited, almost his old self. Apparently he and the ‘original’ Papyrus had gone out food shopping and while looking around had found a shop he seemed absolutely certain his younger brother would love.

Big had agreed. It wasn’t that he was unhappy on the surface but the fact was, he wasn’t the skeleton he used to be, he’d been tired before but it was nothing compared to the depression that weighed on him now. Sans was always trying so hard to cheer him up, and his notebooks were full of the days Sans had found something for him to do that he enjoyed. 

He did try to do the same for his brother but it was difficult when he couldn’t always remember if he had done something for his brother already. Not that Sans seemed to mind, he was always delighted when his brother worked up the energy to do something for him.

Papyrus snapped back to himself when he realised Sans had stopped walking and was bouncing on the balls of his feet at an open alleyway. Now, Papyrus had been doing pretty well adjusting to life on the surface (at least that’s what his therapist said) but there were a few old habits that hadn’t quite died and the nervousness of the small space Sans was waiting by had him pausing. Noticing the hesitation the smaller skeleton approached his brother, grabbing his hand gently, Papyrus tried not to think about the knicks and divots in his brother's bones.

“It's ok Pappy it’s only small for a couple feet then it opens up you’ll see I promise.” he assured eyes shining eagerly behind his glasses. Big missed the way Tiny's eyes went star shaped in his excitement but Papyrus was happy that Sans could be so excited about something so freely. Papyrus knew his brother wouldn’t do something to scare him, and if he thought whatever was on the other side of this small space was worth it then Papyrus would give it a try.

Sans wasn’t wrong, in fact the little ‘ally’ was more of just an underpass where two older buildings connected. He could see how it opened up into a sunny cobbled lane. With a couple trees, their gnarled roots spread as much above the cobblestones as below. It was... charming. Yeah that was the perfect word for it, charming. For a moment he felt a blast of inspiration, and all he wanted to do was sit and write, all the little ideas that came to mind is this little secret space.

“It’s nice isn’t it?” Sans said encouragingly now Papyrus was through the small space, the taller skeleton nodded slowly, yeah it was. It was kind of like stepping back in time almost, while a lot of this part of town was still very classic in the way it looked. A lot of the beautiful old architecture had been covered by modern facades that were so… cold. There was so much glass and so many reflective surfaces. Big didn’t really like it, it just reminded him of what he had become. There was glass here too, but the shop windows here were smaller, they had artful names on the display windows or from signs that swung gently in a cooling breeze. The wood was old and weathered but well kept and he had a feeling the plaster was either replaced or freshly painted recently as everything looked as if it had been built just yesterday.

“We’re almost there, come on, we’ll look at all the shops but I wanna show you this one first.” Sans said, giving Papyrus's hand a gentle squeeze. He didn’t pull or drag Papyrus like he used to because of how badly he knew his brothers back hurt him so Sans had taken to those gentle but firm squeezes to get Papyrus moving. There was more? This wasn’t what Sans wanted him to see? But this was amazing, he hadn’t felt this much inspiration in such a long time, what could be better?

The answer came quickly as they made it to the far end of the lane. There was a pretty wrought iron fence painted black that framed a tiny courtyard filled overflowing with flowers planted with no care to how they grew, the thick smell filled the air in a pleasant assault on his senses. Sans stepped forward pushing the door open, the hinges creaked a little and a charming bell rang from above the door frame. It was a sudden noise but not so loud that it upset the bigger skeleton.

“Hello hello hello, I’m back, miss Human, I brought my brother today.” Sans called. That was interesting. He hadn't heard his brother call out like that before. He didn’t have time to question it though as stepping into the shop he stopped dead in his tracks. It was fantastic, the shop was an old (very old) antique shop and to his wonder there was a whole wall covered in clocks of all types, they ticked softly some had pendulums swinging and others had doors that made him think of cuckoo clocks. He’d never seen so many old clocks.

“Oh Sans, welcome back, you can use my name dear you don’t have to call me Human.” The voice was soft and easy with a gentle chuckle to it. Papyrus turned to the sound he had sort of expected an old woman, the place had a feel of age and dignity. Not to say the woman standing in the archway to another room wasn’t dignified, in fact she was quite elegant, but she wasn’t old. It took him a moment to realise while she was looking in his brothers direction she wasn’t fully looking at him. Another instant and he realized her pale eyes weren’t just a light color she was blind.

“I remember I’m sorry Human! Oh! As I said before I brought my brother, he really loves clocks and from the look on his face when we walked in I think he wants your whole wall of clocks!” he said brightly, the woman chuckled nodding as she walked towards them. She was fairly confident in the way she walked but she would occasionally touch a display case, probably orienting herself in the room. She smiled nodding as she paused once she was closer to his brother.

“Well then you are more then welcome to look at them as much as you like, they are for sale of course.” she said gently tilting her head, she was listening for him. 

“Uh, thank you I appreciate it.” he managed he felt uncomfortable awkwardly, the feeling growing when the woman followed his voice to look in his direction and offered a gentle smile. He was sort of glad he didn’t have to stress about what she thought of him, his hulking bent form in her tiny shop. Not being able to see him she only knew him to be a monster, he doubted his brother told her what he looked like. He watched as she returned her attention to Sans tilting his head slightly trying to get a grasp on the feeling that tickled in his skull. It was a weird feeling, he wasn’t jealous, he’d never be jealous of Sans but he found himself wanting her attention. Was it because she was blind? Knowing she’d give him that soft and welcoming smile with nothing behind it because she had no idea? He couldn’t really be sure.

“I am glad you came back, I received a shipment of some lovely antique almanacs yesterday, would you like to see them before they are out for display?” she asked, Papyrus knew that Sans had really developed a love of reading, but he hadn’t realised the hobby had expanded to be interested in antiques. He smiled weakly glancing back at the wall of clocks. There were so many and they were all different. For a moment he closed his eyes and just let the soft sound of them wash over him, he could hear his brother and the woman talking quietly in the other room he felt… safe. The calm quiet of the shop just gave him a sense of peace he wanted to write. To get all these thoughts down and, maybe later if he stayed in this right frame of mind…

He settled right there on the floor, if he moved or tried to find a chair he knew he’d lose the thin thread he had hold on. Drawing the notepad from his pocket he began scribbling. His handwriting had suffered but he could still read it so that was good. He wrote down the feelings being in the shop and the charming lane had invoked. In the quiet with just the faint murmur of Sans and the Sales woman talking and the gentle scratch of his pencil, Papyrus didn’t realise almost an hour had passed until Sans came to get him. His brother now had a satchel over his shoulder with, presumably, some books inside and was grinning his braces winking in the soft light.

“You’re welcome back for more books Sans, Oh your brother can come back to watch the clocks whenever he likes.” the human woman said as Papyrus stood his bones felt creaky and achy but he felt... good. He had written so much, more than he had in a long time and he felt great. But he couldn’t quite manage to say so. His brother however was a step ahead of him.

“I’ll be sure to bring him back, I’ll want more books.” Tiny said cheerfully as he walked with his brother out of the shop. Papyrus smiled looking at the notebook in his large hand before looking at Sans who had stopped to beam at him as soon as they were outside.

“So, was that a good surprise or what?” he asked happily, Papyrus smiled softly, the corners of his mouth twitching up gently. He pocketed the notebook before reaching out gently rubbing the top of Sans head approvingly 

“Did good Bro, I liked it there.” he said quietly, anyone else would have missed the subtle changes in his manner but Sans saw them and he knew that his brother really had enjoyed the shop. He smiled settling the bag, tucked amongst the books was a clock he had seen last time he had visited the shop, he fully intended to give it to his brother when they got home. He had been on the fence about the purchase but seeing how his brother had lit up seeing all the clocks had cemented his decision.

He was glad his little brother had liked the shop, regardless of their sizes and manner Sans was still the big brother and he took Bigs Happiness seriously, if something as simple as an old shop with a wall of old clocks could make him so excited then Sans would bring him everyday if he wanted.

* * *

True to his word, when Papyrus mentioned the shop a few days later with a fresh notebook in hand Sans was happy to take his brother back. He wanted to show Big the other shops and he told Papyrus that there was a little cafe they could have lunch at as well or they could eat in the courtyard on one of the benches under the tree. Both ideas were nice and Papyrus agreed without hesitation. He wanted to write, he wanted to get the pretty images onto paper before they left his skull, though the fact they held firm so far delighted him, usually he had such a struggle with new memories. 

It was earlier when they arrived then last time so the sun wasn’t quite as high giving the lane a look of fantastic shadow that made Papyrus think of mysteries of an old world, foggy cobbled streets, magic and adventure…

A shiver thrilled up his spine and he looked at Sans with a bigger smile

“It’s… coming so fast bro, all these ideas.” he managed Sans smiled nodding happy to let his brother plonk himself down on the bench already scribbling in the open notebook He hadn’t seen his brother so eager and inspired in such a long time, it was so nice.

Knowing Big would be fine on the bench, Sans made his way to the little antique shop and went inside wanting to look at some of the other books the owner had on hand and tell her how much Papyrus had loved the clock he had bought him.

Papyrus wasn’t sure how long he had been writing but when he surfaced from his thoughts he was startled to see the woman from the antique shop sitting on the other end of the bench, hands in her lap face turned up at the dappled light that peaked through the leaves of the tree. Was it her sitting that had caught his attention.

“Oh uh… can move.” he mumbled glancing around for Sans, he was better at this. He didn't want to bother this woman, she probably hadn’t even known he was there or else she wouldn’t have sat there obviously.

“Hmm? Oh no you’re ok, it sounded like you were really into your work, you were mumbling to yourself.” she said gently turning her face slightly in his direction, he had been talking? It occurred to him after a moment that Sans had commented once, that when he was really immersed in an idea he would sometimes say what he was writing.

“Sorry…” he muttered groughly wildly embarrassed, she just shook her head

“Don’t be, it sounds like an interesting story, your brother mentioned you enjoy writing, ‘m glad our little plot of land inspires you so much.” she said warmly.

“Y-yeah, it’s… been awhile since... I mean…” he trailed when something occurred to him “Y-your plot?” he asked kind of curious she nodded slowly

“Mhmm, all of this space belongs to my family. It used to be one huge Manor house so I’m told. It was parted out over time to family members and became our own little block of shops.” she explained softly, he smiled, that was kind of a neat idea. A nice thought as well, having so much family and being so close?

“S-so all these shops are, uh… your’s?” he asked. She shook her head “Not mine specifically but they all belong to a member of my family, lets see sitting here… Ok that shop there, My brother runs it with his son His wife is an executive assistant at our grandfather's company. The shop next to that belongs to my aunt on my mother's side…” and so shp by shop she told him about who owned it, a bit about the shop, a bit about the history. It was really interesting and after a while he had started making notes about what she was telling him. When was the last time he'd just sat and had a conversation with anyone?

“And you own the antique shop?” he asked when she finished she nodded expression shifting slightly 

“Yes though I suppose at times I don’t really feel like it’s really mine.” she admitted before shaking her head

“Oh! No ignore that, I know I shouldn’t think like that I’m sorry.” she said sheepishly, blushing faintly as she settled her hands in her lap closing her eyes and taking a deep breath 

“‘S ok… I don't mind listening.” he offered, surprising himself as much as her it seemed, by his words.

“Hmm… well, I should preface it by saying I love my family and I know at the end of the day they just worry for me, and for good reason. I don’t feel like I earned the shop. I got my degree yes and I work hard to keep it but, I feel sometimes like I only got it because of my condition. By giving me a shop in our unit family can always keep an eye out for me. I don’t know if they know how much I love the antiques, how much I’ve learned or if they just gave me the shop because it wasn’t being used at the time and it would keep me close?” she admitted before shaking her head again.

“And I know it’s not fair to anyone to think that way. Yes they want me safe but if I had pushd I could have gotten a shop someplace else, and I know they only want what's best for me. I try not to let those thoughts get to me.” she said fingers fidgeting in her lap

“Well, dunno if it matters from a stranger but, sounds t’me like you earned it… if you got the degree, and you're still learnin about it, and you work hard at the shop then… isn’t that what it means to earn somethin?” he offered, he was no stranger to dark and intrusive thoughts and he had to admire how she tried to get past them

“There's nothin wrong with ‘earnin’ somethin after it’s been given to you … I think… ‘s not like you're just passing it off to someone else to manage and sittin around. You could, and no one would probably mind ‘cause of your ah… uh eyes, but you don’t do that so, seems like you’re earnin’ it… uh, well to me… anyway.” he mumbled trailing off as he lost steam, she was looking well, facing him directly seeming stunned as he had spoken before smiling brightly.

“That's, so true, you’re right and yes I do work hard I am earning it, Sometimes those ugly thoughts poke in but that’s something else I can remember when it gets like that, thank you, ah, it’s Papyrus right? You’re brother told me.” she said warmly he smiled a bit nodding oh wait she couldn’t

“Yeah, yah, uh there's a couple of us called Papyrus so sometimes people call me, B-big to… I’m uh, well pretty tall.” he said a little nervously

“Oh yeah? Well unless I meet another Papyrus I think I’ll use your name if that’s alright, oh, unless you prefer big?” she said suddenly considering that he shook his head

“N-nah nah it’s fine I um, I like my name better I just, having a nickname just helps so people don’t get confused.” he muttered magic dusting his skull embarrassment rising, yah he liked the way his name sounded when she said it, Big didn’t sound to bad either but he liked the way she said his name, Papyrus, heh. 

“Where is Sans anyway uh he’s been gone a while.” He said suddenly to cover the silence of him savoring his new friend.

“Oh He must still be looking at books. When he first came to the shop the friend he was shopping with had to drag him out, he said something about them needing to get home for the best spaghetti night ever.” she said chuckling softly

“He likes the books I have a lot, I guess it makes a nice change from a lot of what comes out now.” she said musingly as she stood

“Would you like to come see if that’s what’s happened? I’m sure he’ll surface when you call for him.” she said laughing softly. Papyrus shifting standing slowly and stretching spine popping. He’d sort of settled in the bench but it was lower than he was used to and so he'd folded awkwardly into it. It hadn’t been so bad while he was writing and then talking but now he could think without distraction he could feel the aching protest of his joints.

“Oh! That was a sound heh, you should see my sister in law, she might have something for that.” she said easily gesturing to one of the shops she had told him about before, Holistic medicine? He shrugged

“Could give it a shot.” he said softly he didn’t really think about it all that often if he was honest he’d gotten so used to the pain, He didn’t like it but it just… was, and since the few medicines they had tried to give him hadn’t worked.

As expected, Sans was sprawled on the floor in the shop pouring over different books, his eyes shining as he looked over the weathered pages in utter awe. Papyrus smiled. It was nice to see his bro so immersed, and not worrying about him for a little while. He appreciated his brother's help obviously but he was glad Sans was comfortable enough with where Papyrus had been to leave him there to get involved in the old books.

“Hey bro.” he called instantly catching Sans’ attention the smaller skeleton shifting scrambling up

“Papy, check it out This book has some of the old monster myths!” he said thrilled looking to the woman hugging the book to his chest

“Is this one one of the ones for sale, I know Queen Toriel would love to see it, I’d love to read it to her, if it’s not for sale could I borrow it?” he asked eagerly not relinquishing his hold on the book as he stared at her. Papyrus looked to her curiously, she’d been letting Sans look at the books that weren’t for sale? That was, well really nice. If they were really antiques and not for sale they must be pretty valuable or rare.

“Actually, Why don’t you consider it a gift?” she said gently Sans stalled staring at her, 

“What? but, I can pay for it.” he managed, surprised. He hadn’t been above using his cute looks in the underground for things he really really wanted before things had gotten bad but he’d given all that up, and even if he hadn’t she couldn't even see him, he had.. Why… Sans felt stuck unsure what to say or do.

“If it has monster stories in it then it must have belonged to monsters at one point right? You’re my friend Sans, I like it when we talk about books, if you want to share that book with other friends then I want you to do it. If you really want to pay for it, you can come back and tell me what your friend thought of the stories, how does that sound?” she offered Sans nodded quickly hugging the book so close

“Yes absolutely I will! I will.” he said quickly, looking at Papyrus with awe and delight as if silently saying ‘Did you see that?’ 

“Well bro, look at you makin friends all over the place up here too? You’re still the best.” Papyrus said grinning as he rocked back a bit on his heels, hands in his pocket he didn’t feel as tired as usual, today? It felt like a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on the headcannons of Absurdmageart on tumblr. I love her ideas and I just couldn't help wanting to write something nice for the horrorswap bros, poor things have had it rough, there are lots of Horror tale fics out there so I thought they deserved some love.


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